


Mister and Mister Communication

by megastarstrike



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, background amamatsu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 08:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14516046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megastarstrike/pseuds/megastarstrike
Summary: There was too much happening at once. After a blur of a ring glittering under the dim lights, Shuuichi’s hopeful smile, the expectant stares of the crowd, it only occurred to him when he stood at his best friend’s door that he had ran away and left his boyfriend of eight years to handle the fallout.





	Mister and Mister Communication

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to my friend for reading through this and listening to my screaming

It had been a quiet afternoon in their shared apartment when the question came up.

“Hey, Shuuichi, do you think we’ll ever get married?”

Shuuichi choked on his coffee, clutching at his chest and coughing. After a few seconds of him gasping for air, he resettled himself on the couch and stared at his boyfriend, who was sprawled across the couch across from him. “What?”

“You heard me,” he said, inspecting his nails with an almost bored expression. “Do you think we’ll ever get married?”

“Kokichi, where is this coming from?”

Kokichi twisted his face as if he was staring at the dumbest bitch on the planet, and it occurred to Shuuichi that he might indeed be the dumbest bitch on the planet.

For one, they had been dating for seven years and counting. Their anniversary was even coming up soon, meaning they would be up to eight years. Despite some of their friends being married already, the topic of marriage had never come up between the two. At least, not seriously. Maybe Kokichi’s jokes about getting married weren’t jokes.

Secondly, their finances were already tied together, and they shared an apartment. They shared a bank account and while they had their own credit cards and bank accounts as well, neither of the two made risky buys without discussing it with the other first. Hell, they were even on the same health and car insurance. It was like they were married already.

And finally, with another one of their friends getting married, there was no better time than the present to discuss it.

Shuuichi looked up, only to see there was no teasing smile on Kokichi’s face like there usually would be. “Alright, I get it, asking that was kind of stupid. But you want a serious answer, right?”

Kokichi hesitated before nodding.

So Shuuichi thought about it, holding a hand over his mouth. There had been rocky patches during their seven years of dating, from Shuuichi’s workaholic tendencies to Kokichi’s constant lying, but they had made it through everything together. They had made it work, and when he looked into the adoring face and eyes of the person he had grown to love, he knew there was no one else he would rather spend his life with.

Shuuichi bit his lip and nodded. “Y-Yeah, I want… I want to marry you sometime soon. Do you want to marry me?”

Conflict flickered in Kokichi’s eyes before he sighed and decided it wasn’t something he should lie about. “Yeah, I want to marry you. But if we’re getting married, I don’t want to get another person planning it for us.”

Shuuichi wasn’t too surprised; his boyfriend _was_ an event planner, after all. “That’s fine with me. What type of ring do you want?”

“Ring pops. We can get matching flavors.”

“Kokichi.” Still, Shuuichi couldn’t keep the smile off his face as Kokichi giggled.

A devious smirk danced on Kokichi’s lips, and his eyes sparkled. “Even if I said an actual ring type, would you have known what it looked like?”

“I… no.” Shuuichi’s face burned as Kokichi burst into laughter. “Anyway, what do you want for dinner?”

As Kokichi rambled about what was definitely not his food preferences, Shuuichi couldn’t help but think this was where he wanted to be forever.

 

*

 

“So I was thinking of proposing to Kokichi.”

“Oh! That’s, um… That’s great.” Kaede paused. “I thought you two were already married though…?”

Shuuichi almost dropped his phone.

Kokichi was away at an event one of his clients decided to hold at midnight (Kokichi had called it exciting, but his body language said anything but exciting). Shuuichi thought it wouldn’t have been bad to consult his best friend while he had the apartment to himself, but now he was having second thoughts.

“W-What do you mean by that?” Shuuichi asked once he found his grip on the phone.

“I mean, you both just act like a married couple all the time. That’s been the way it is since you two started dating.”

Shuuichi smiled. “But not as much as you and Rantarou.”

She laughed, a dog bark in the distance following it. “Yeah, I guess. But have you and Kokichi talked about marriage at all yet?”

“Yes, we just talked about it on and off for a week.”

“Extensively?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? Really, really think about it. Did you miss anything?”

Shuuichi paused to think. There wasn’t anything he could think about that they haven’t discussed in detail. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Then I don’t see why you shouldn’t propose.” A louder dog bark followed her words. “Sorry, Melody’s calling for me. I’ll be waiting for the wedding invitation in my mailbox, Shuuichi!”

Shuuichi chuckled. “Of course. Bye, Kaede.”

“Bye!” And with that, she hung up.

Shuuichi looked down at his phone as he drummed his fingers on the kitchen table.

Everyone in their friend group had proposed in public, and while Shuuichi usually didn’t feel comfortable with so many eyes on him, he definitely wanted everyone to know just how much he loved his partner. He didn’t feel uncomfortable expressing that in the slightest.

Kokichi wouldn’t mind it either, right? He made speeches all the time and was used to all eyes on him. He most likely wouldn’t be opposed to a public proposal.

So once Shuuichi received his paycheck for the month, he started planning.

 

*

 

Kokichi was suspicious.

A suggestion to spend the night at a bar was normal, but Shuuichi’s body language was not. As anxious as his boyfriend was, there was never a time he had ever seen him fidget and stutter over his words so much. He would reach into his pocket as if he was feeling around for something before visibly relaxing and taking his hand out. On top of that, he had trouble meeting his eyes, whether they were talking or just walking with each other.

Kokichi frowned as they sat at a table. “Shuuichi, are you alright?”

Shuuichi jumped, almost falling backwards off the stool. “Ah, uh, y-yeah, I’m alright. Totally fine.”

“Did you really just try to lie to me?” He took Shuuichi’s hand and tilted his head to meet his eyes. “Listen, Shuuichi, you don’t have to be scared of me. I’ll always love you no matter what happens, and that’s not a lie.”

“N-No, it’s just…” Shuuichi took a deep breath. “W-We’ve been dating for seven— _eight_ years now, and we’ve both grown a lot, both physically and mentally.”

Was this a breakup speech or just Shuuichi being a hopeless romantic? Kokichi couldn’t form an exact opinion without further evidence, so he continued listening.

“We’ve both grown a lot, but you’re still the same interesting, funny, cute person I fell in love with ever since we bumped into this fountain a decade ago. You inspired me to become a better detective when we first met, and you still inspire me to be a better person even now. You’ve taught me so many things about life, and I hope I’ve taught you some things as well.”

Then Shuuichi got down on one knee, and panic alarms rang in Kokichi’s head. A crowd was gathering around them. A crowd who would see Kokichi at his weakest moment. He was reluctant to even allow his closest friends to see him without his confident facade. There was no way in hell he would allow a bunch of strangers to see it.

There was too much happening at once. After a blur of a ring glittering under the dim lights, Shuuichi’s hopeful smile, the expectant stares of the crowd, it only occurred to him when he stood at his best friend’s door that he had ran away and left his boyfriend of eight years to handle the fallout.

 

*

 

It took a moment for Shuuichi to process that Kokichi had ran away without giving him an answer, but when it did, his heart shattered into a million pieces and stabbed whatever bit of hope he had left for his future.

But what had become of his future? Were they still together? How would they break up if they still lived together? What about their finances? What would he do with the ring?

“Chin up, mate. Everybody likes jungle juice, right?” somebody murmured into his ear, patting him on the shoulder as the bartender poured him a drink.

Shuuichi gulped down the drink without a word, sobbing into the napkins someone had passed to him. His heartbreak was muted under the buzz of the alcohol, but his chest felt as if someone had torn it open with a knife and twisted. Nothing felt real anymore.

A few more drinks later, the bartender pulled his drink away from him. “Alright, buddy, that’s enough. You need me to call a cab?”

Shuuichi shook his head, unable to find words. He gestured towards the register.

“Nah, somebody else already paid the tab. You’re good to go.”

Shuuichi sniffed and unlocked his phone, examining his face in the camera. His eyes were red and puffy, and tracks of tears ran down his cheeks, his eyeliner streaking down with it. Bags and wet spots were under his eyes. It was like he had transformed into a completely different person. He tapped Kaede’s phone number and brought the phone up to his ear, waiting.

“... Hello?”

The only noise Shuuichi made was something between a sob and a wail.

“Holy shit, are you okay? Hold on, I’m coming to get you. Where are you?”

Upon seeing Shuuichi unable to say anything that wasn’t a sob, the person next to him shouted the bar’s name.

“Okay, I’ll be there in ten. Try not to do anything stupid.” She hung up, leaving Shuuichi to stew in his own thoughts.

 

*

 

“I fucked up, I fucked up, I fucked up, I fucked up, I—”

“I know, Kokichi, but you’re gonna have to be a little more specific. And take that thumb out of your mouth, I don’t need to be cleaning blood off the floors again.”

Kokichi looked up at his best friend, his thumb still in between his teeth. He slowly removed it and wiped the thumb against the pink chair he sat on, earning a wrinkled nose from Miu.

Miu’s living room couldn’t be called a living room, as it most likely wasn’t even a habitable zone. The only space to sit was on a tall, pink chair and a red sofa. The outline of a carpet was barely visible under the mounds of boxes and scrap metal. A single lightbulb hung in the middle of the room.

“Listen,” Miu began, kicking her legs up onto a nearby box and leaning back into the cushions of the red sofa. “You’re a fuck-up, I know that. But if you want me to help you at midnight when I have a meeting the next morning, I need to know how exactly you fucked up.”

“You don’t have a meeting, you dirty liar.”

“Okay, fine, but I still have to be up early. So spit it out.”

Kokichi looked down, choosing his words carefully. “Shuuichi proposed to me.”

“Okay. Aren’t you supposed to be—”

“In public.”

Miu’s eyes widened. She sunk into the couch, letting out a low whistle. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” Kokichi said, shutting his eyes.

“And what did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything. I just ran away.”

“You’re a fucking dumbass."

“You don’t think I know that?” Kokichi growled, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. His throat constricted, and the guilt that had been building in his gut exploded. “How the fuck could I just leave him behind like that? What the hell is wrong with me?”

Miu flinched and sat up, a hand reaching out to him. “Listen, dude, you need to calm down.”

“Calm down? What do you—”

“Okay, I know this isn’t what you want to hear right now, but the first step of this is calming the fuck down, or at least pretending to. You’ve always been a logical person, right? Just—Just fucking work with me for a second here. Follow my breaths.”

Kokichi watched as Miu inhaled for four seconds and exhaled for four seconds. He fought to control his breathing in time with her, but it was proving much more difficult than it seemed.

Eventually, he had managed to wrangle his breathing under control, and the dizziness cleared from his head. The storm had passed, but the guilt and shame of leaving his partner behind hadn’t.

Miu took a deep breath before taking his hand, tilting her head to meet his eyes. “I’m gonna need you to be real honest with me here. Did you want to marry Shuuichi?”

Kokichi’s voice caught in his throat. “Yes.”

“Do you still want to marry Shuuichi?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you run?”

“I don’t know, I just…” Kokichi bit his thumb again. He knew the answer too well. Being exposed like that in front of anyone that wasn’t their closest friends was too stressful, too vulnerable. So his body did the only thing it could.

“Is the big deal just the public proposal?”

“... You know, I’m kind of mad Shuuichi thought I would like a public proposal,” Kokichi said, “I thought he knew me better than that.”

Miu snorted. “If you’re pissed off, imagine how Shuuichi feels.”

The dizziness returned, and Kokichi’s face paled. “Do you think Shuuichi’s mad at me?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, but he’s probably more sad than anything. I mean, how else would you feel if your boyfriend rejected you?”

“I didn’t reject him though.”

“What?”

“I told you, I just didn’t say anything. I didn’t outright reject him. Why would I reject him?”

Miu furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t know. Kind of sounds like you rejected him when you ran away. People tend to assume the worst, especially someone like Shuuichi.”

“You don’t think…”

“Yeah. He probably thought you rejected him.”

The words weighed heavy in Kokichi’s chest as he considered his options.

One, he could cut off all ties with Shuuichi and live with Miu. It was the absolute worst case scenario, a scenario he didn’t want to imagine.

Two, he could go back home and pretend nothing had happened. Even if it provided short term satisfaction, the tension between them would still be present, and it would blow back up in his face at the worst moment. It wouldn’t end happily.

Or three, he could go back home and talk about his feelings like a rational adult. He was twenty-nine, almost thirty years old, and so was Shuuichi. It would be uncomfortable and emotionally exhausting to tell the truth for so long, but at least there was a chance their relationship could be mended. And if he felt attacked and uncomfortable during their talk, then so be it.

“So what’s stopping you from just going back home and fucking him into the mattress?” Miu asked.

Besides the last part of the sentence, it was a valid question. There really was nothing stopping him from doing anything except his own self.

And sometimes that self got in the way more often than he would like.

“Do you think he still wants to date me after this? I embarrassed him in front of everyone and left him to deal with the consequences,” Kokichi said. He lowered his thumb to turn to her with no trace of emotion on his face. “Shuuichi could do so much better than me. He could do so, so much better.”

Miu’s face dropped. Her lips tightened, and her voice lowered. “I’m not gonna say anything about the implication of you not being good enough for Shuuichi because that’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard you say. But even if he could do better than you, that doesn’t mean he wants to. Look at this shit.” She paused to pick up a tiny piece of scrap metal. “I know I can clean up this mess anytime I want to. You know that, too. We’ve both seen me when I get in a cleaning frenzy.”

It was true. Kokichi had firsthand seen Miu clean the entirety of the dumpster that was their school’s robotics room in under an hour, leaving the room spotless. It was a skill he didn’t expect her to have, but one she had nonetheless.

“But you know what? I like it this way.” She tossed the scrap metal back into the sea of boxes and leaned back into the couch. “A genius like me has a scattered mind, and sometimes I prefer to have a scattered environment. Same goes for relationships. You’re not the best person in the world, but who is?”

Kokichi’s voice caught in his throat. Tears burned in the back of his eyes, but he refused to release them. “What would you know?”

“A lot more than you if you’re freaking the fuck out like this,” Miu said, her voice cracking as she struggled to rein back her own tears. “Listen, you purple nerd, you’re a lot of things, but you aren’t a bad person. You’re Cuntarou’s friend, Himicuck’s coworker, Kaeidiot’s dogsitter, and Pooichi’s boyfriend, maybe even fiance. And most important of all, you’re my fucking best friend. Don’t you dare tell me we should all just give up on you just because we can ‘do better than you’ or some bullshit like that.” She sniffed and wiped the tears off her face.

Kokichi’s body shook as he bit back a sob. “M-Miu, that’s… the one smart thing you’ve ever said in your entire life.” His sobs turned into laughter upon having a pillow thrown at him.

“Wow, I fucking give you the pep talk of the century, and you play me like this? Fuck you,” Miu said with no real malice in her voice. She flopped back into the couch. “So? What are you gonna do?”

“I think…” Kokichi looked up to meet her eyes. “I think I’m going to talk to him. No lies, just truth.”

“Then go.”

“But… thanks for everything, Miu. Really.” Then he let a true smile slip, the ends of his eyes crinkled and the warmth behind it unmistakable.

Miu almost fell off the couch, managing to catch herself in time. “N-No problem, asshole. But good luck finding your way out.”

Kokichi took one look at the pile of boxes in front of him and pushed it out of the way, sending it crashing into other boxes. “Like this?”

“Oh, fuck you.”

 

*

 

It was two hours later, and Shuuichi hadn’t stopped crying.

“Oh, dear,” Kaede mumbled as she wrapped a fuzzy blanket around him and set a mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table in front of where they sat on the couch. “I didn’t know somebody could have that many tears. Rantarou, can you get more tissues?”

A few seconds later, Rantarou emerged from the kitchen holding a roll of paper towels. He handed them to Shuuichi with a sheepish smile. “We ran out of tissues. Is this okay?”

Shuuichi nodded and took the paper towels gratefully, ripping off a section and holding it to his eyes. “Thanks. S-Sorry for staying here so long.”

“No, stay as long as you need to,” Rantarou said. He sat down on the other side of Shuuichi. “It’s not good to let these feelings bottle up. We’re here if you need us.”

Shuuichi nodded. The last of his tears had finally dried up. “T-Thank you. Both of you.”

Kaede ripped off a paper towel and wiped off the remaining tears on his cheeks. “No problem. And don’t take this the wrong way, but why didn’t you call Kokichi? He’s your fiance, right?”

Shuuichi would have sobbed if he hadn’t just spent the last few hours crying. All he could manage was a whimper as he shook his head.

Their faces fell, and Kaede wrapped her arms around him. “Oh, Shuuichi… I’m so sorry.”

He leaned into the hug, but he didn’t feel any better. “He just… I love him so much, but he rejected me. I don’t—I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“So he’s cutting off ties just like that?”

“W-Well… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Shuuichi sniffed, recalling his memories of the past few months. “Kokichi was the one who brought up marriage. He said he wanted to be married, and I even asked him what ring he wanted. We talked about finances, our future, if we wanted children or not, where we wanted to be in ten years… I don’t know why he rejected me. Was he lying about everything?”

“No, I’m certain he wouldn’t lie about something like that,” Rantarou said, rubbing circles into the back of Shuuichi’s hand. “Can you tell us how the proposal actually went? You don’t have to, of course, it’s just a suggestion.”

“No, I’ll tell you.” Shuuichi sat up, and Kaede released him. “I just proposed today. I took him out to the bar we first met then said a speech before I got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. And he just… ran away. He didn’t say anything, he just ran away.”

Kaede and Rantarou paused, thinking over the situation and allowing Shuuichi to continue.

“And I know it’s not right, but I’m kind of… mad? I hate how he just left me behind in that bar. He knows I don’t like being at the center of attention.”

“And you absolutely can be mad,” Rantarou said, “That’s not a good thing to do, especially to your significant other. But can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Did you ever ask if he wanted a public proposal?”

Shuuichi stopped, the implications processing in his head. “So it’s my fault?”

“What? No. That’s not I’m saying.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m going to take that as a no.”

“... I don’t know if you’ve considered this, but is it possible he didn’t like the attention either?” Kaede asked.

Shuuichi stopped.

For the majority of the years they had been together, it was a well-known fact Kokichi loved having all eyes on him. He volunteered at their local theater and often went for the lead roles when he had time. Though being an event planner meant he usually worked in the background, being given public thanks was never a complaint. But most of those were just part of his job and hobbies. Had he ever wanted attention with an emotional—

Shuuichi’s eyes widened.

No, he hadn’t.

“Kaede, Rantarou,” Shuuichi called, his voice low. “I’m an idiot.”

“Hey, don’t call yourself an idiot,” Kaede said.

“But I am. How did I forget to ask about the actual proposal? I asked what color theme we wanted at the wedding and what flowers we were going to have, but I didn’t ask him about something as important as the actual proposal. How did I forget that? God, I’m so stupid and—”

“Shuuichi, you’ve got to calm down. It’s partially your fault for making a public proposal without asking, but it’s also his fault for running away. Nobody’s completely responsible.”

“I know, but…” Shuuichi looked down at his hand. “Do you think he still wants to marry me after this?”

Kaede gave him a soft smile. “There’s only one way to find out.”

“... I’m scared.” And he was. The thought of confronting Kokichi after the biggest fight of their relationship made him sick to his stomach.

“You know,” Rantarou began, “He just ran away. He never actually gave you an answer.”

Shuuichi furrowed his eyebrows. “Can’t his answer be inferred from him running away?”

“Maybe, but we’ve both known Kokichi for a long time. Trust me when I say he probably left it ambiguous on purpose.” Rantarou smiled and patted him on the back. “Just talk to him, okay? It’s worse to leave a problem alone and have resentment build up than to face it head-on from the start.”

Shuuichi fell silent, staring down at the table. “... Yeah. I think I will talk to him. But can I stay here for the night? I just… don’t want to face him like this.”

“Of course. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” Kaede said, “Do you mind sleeping on the couch or would you rather move into the guest bedroom?”

“I can stay here. And… thank you so much. Really.”

The two smiled and wished him a goodnight before heading upstairs to their bedroom, leaving the living room as dark as the night.

With the events of the day weighing down on him and the exhaustion from crying his heart out, Shuuichi was knocked out cold in less than ten minutes.

 

*

 

In hindsight, leaving fifteen missed calls from Kokichi probably wasn’t the best idea. Shuuichi realized that just as he walked into their apartment and saw a Kokichi with bloodshot eyes, one that probably hadn’t gotten any sleep the previous night.

Shuuichi cleared his throat despite the ache eating away at both his head and stomach, snapping Kokichi out of his trance.

Kokichi’s eyes settled on the figure of Shuuichi closing the door behind him. His usual smile was gone and replaced with a blankness that never failed to unsettle him.

“Fifteen missed calls, huh?” Shuuichi tried to joke, but it failed to remove the tension between them.

More silence followed until Kokichi spoke up, his voice strained. “I was… I was worried about you. Where were you?”

“Kaede and Rantarou picked me up from the bar.”

“Rantarou told me you got drunk on jungle juice. How’s the hangover?”

“Great, thanks for asking,” Shuuichi said. His smile faded. “We… Can we talk?”

Kokichi stared at him blankly before taking a deep breath and standing up from the couch. “I’ll make coffee.”

 

*

 

The tenseness as they sat across from each other in their kitchen was suffocating. They had fought before in their eight years of dating, but never to this degree. It was an unnavigated sea, and Shuuichi wasn’t looking forward to being the one who had to map it out.

“So,” Shuuichi began, pausing to sip at his coffee. “I… proposed to you yesterday at the bar we first met.”

Kokichi gulped and nodded. His voice sounded firm, but a shaky undertone was present. “And I ran away.”

“Why did you run away?”

Kokichi didn’t answer, instead looking down at his reflection in the mug of coffee.

Shuuichi continued even as his voice trembled. “When you ran away, I felt… hurt. It felt like our entire future, the future we planned together, had gone down the drain. And… I hate to say this, but it felt like you didn’t love me anymore.”

“I love you,” Kokichi interjected.

“But it didn’t feel like it.”

He fell silent.

“Again, that’s just what I felt, not necessarily what’s true,” Shuuichi said.

“God, Shuuichi, I love you so much,” Kokichi said, tugging at his hair. He hesitated and cringed as if he was forcing himself to tell the truth. “I would never lie about wanting to get married. I never wanted to hurt you like that.”

“Then why did you run?”

“I just…” He screwed his eyes shut. “When you said all that sappy stuff and pulled out that ring, it felt like I was going to cry. I was so happy. But in front of all those strangers… with so many eyes on me… I hated it. I don’t want them to see me like that.”

Shuuichi bristled. “So you value the opinions of some strangers more than mine?”

“It’s not like that, and you know it. Jeez, do I have to spell everything out for you? And here I was thinking you were a detective.”

“I am, but you’ve always…” Shuuichi’s voice choked. “You’ve always been someone I wanted to figure out.”

Kokichi opened his eyes and gave him a wry smile. “Isn’t that what you said when you asked me out?”

“... Yeah, it is.”

They were left in a contemplative silence, Shuuichi averting his eyes and Kokichi keeping his mouth closed in fear of messing something up further. The world outside them was silent along with them. It was as if the universe had taken a collective deep breath with them to just think.

Shuuichi’s words came out thin and strained. “Are we still together?”

“I… I want us to be together.” Kokichi tilted his head. “Is that what you want?”

Shuuichi opened and closed his mouth before he finally settled on a nod.

“... Listen, Shuuichi,” Kokichi said, “I wasn’t lying about wanting to marry you. If you get nothing else from this conversation, just know that. And…” His grip around the coffee mug tightened. “I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”

“And—And I shouldn’t have done a public proposal without asking you first. I wanted a public proposal myself and thought you would feel the same way, but… that clearly wasn’t the case.” He moved his hand on top of Kokichi’s tightened fist, feeling it relax under his touch. “I’m sorry, too.”

The two shared another moment of silence before Kokichi spoke up again, his voice quiet. “Telling the truth is tiring. I don’t like it.”

“I know you don’t. I appreciate you not trying to lie to me.”

“Are we good?”

“We’re good. And Kokichi?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”  
  
A soft smile rose to Kokichi’s face. “I love you, too. But you do know you’re late for work, right?”

“What?” Shuuichi’s head whipped around to the clock hanging on the wall.

True to his word, the clock read nine o’clock. He was supposed to be at work an hour ago. But then his eyes drifted to the calendar.

Shuuichi let out a sigh of relief, sinking into his seat and fluttering his eyes shut. “Oh, thank god. It’s one of my off-days today.” He opened his eyes to fix a stern look on Kokichi. “You know this. Why would you make me panic like that?”

“Sorry, but it was too good to pass up,” Kokichi said in between his snickers. “Can you believe you wanted to marry someone like this?”

“ _Want_ to marry. Just because we both made a mistake doesn’t mean my feelings are erased.” Shuuichi offered him a sweet smile. “I really do love you, Kokichi. More than you could ever imagine.”

Kokichi’s eyes widened for a split second before he grabbed Shuuichi’s hand and grinned. “I really love you too, Shumai! So, so much!”

A light pink dusted Shuuichi’s face, but he couldn’t help the smile rising to his face.

 

*

 

It took six months for both of the two to move on from the proposal. It was still a bitter memory for everyone involved, but it was no longer a source of contention or resentment. Nothing had torn them apart like it, and nothing else had strengthened them like it.

Shuuichi sighed and knocked on the bathroom door, glancing down at his watch reading six o’clock. “Kokichi, can you hurry up? We need to get to Kaede’s party.”

Out of nowhere, Kaede had decided to gather all of their mutual friends together for a party at her house, some of them friends from grade school and others friends from newer times. She had set the dress code to formal, so it made sense for Kokichi to spend so much time on his appearance, but that didn’t mean Shuuichi wanted to be late.

Finally, Kokichi slammed the bathroom door open and beamed. “I’m ready!” he sang. “Well? Are you gonna sweep me off my feet or what?”

Another sigh. Shuuichi shook his head but couldn’t help the smile rising to his face. He took Kokichi’s hand. “You look great. Let’s go.”

Kokichi hummed as he tightened his grip on Shuuichi’s hand, and they left for the party.

Before they stepped out the door, Kokichi turned back to him. “Shuuichi, you still want to get married, right?”

Shuuichi blinked at the sudden question. He hadn’t given it much thought after his proposal, but his feelings on the matter hadn’t changed. “Yes, I do.”

“And you don’t mind public proposals?”

“I don’t mind them. Why?”

“The dumb slut wanted me to ask you for some reason,” Kokichi scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Ask her if you want to know.”

Shuuichi smiled. “You mean Miu?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s just get going.”

It was suspicious, but Shuuichi couldn’t argue with that. He locked the door behind them after they walked out of their apartment.

As soon as Shuuichi stepped into Kaede’s house, he was met with a variety of greetings from a group of people standing around a table in the kitchen. A plate of quarter note-shaped cookies were set on the table as well as a few bottles of wine and juice, opened bags of chips, and a board game. Soft classical music played in the background. It didn’t feel like a party; it was more of a casual hangout, and Shuuichi appreciated that.

Kaede stepped out from the group by the table to properly greet them. “Shuuichi, Kokichi! I’m glad you two could make it.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” Shuuichi said, giving her a warm smile.

Kokichi’s eyes scanned the room. “Where’s Rantarou?”

“Don’t you worry about a thing,” Kaede said with a wink. She patted him on the shoulder. “We’ve got it covered. Go have fun.”

That had to be the most suspicious thing Shuuichi’s ever heard, but he couldn’t connect it to anything. His first instinct was to assume Kaede was assisting Kokichi with a prank, but she would most likely be the one stopping him, not helping him. Maybe Kokichi helped her plan the party? That seemed likely given his career, but it was still strange.

Kokichi’s eyes sparkled when he caught sight of a familiar person in a pink dress. He gave Shuuichi a sweet smile. “Shuuichi, beloved, I’m gonna go smack a bitch. Text me if you need me.” And with that, he separated from Shuuichi’s hand and ran full speed at the person, jumping onto their back.

Shuuichi cringed at the scream, and he wondered just how many times this had happened before for him to immediately recognize the scream as Miu’s.

Kaede sighed and shook her head. “Well, what can you do? Just try to enjoy yourself, okay? Kaito and Maki should be coming soon, and I invited a couple of our high school friends, too.”

“I guess you’re right. Thanks,” Shuuichi said. He picked up a music note cookie. “How have you been doing?”

As Kaede rambled about how the trumpet section had rushed during her solo at a concert the previous night, time passed quickly. All fifteen other people in the room were recognizable friends, something Shuuichi was grateful for. By the time he knew it, the clock read midnight.

Piano music played in another room, prompting whoever was left in the kitchen to migrate to the other room.

In the piano room, half of the party’s participants were already located there. Upon looking closer, Kokichi stood in the corner of the room with Rantarou and Miu by his side, whispering something into his ear. They pushed him forward, and the upbeat music switched to a romantic melody.

Kokichi took a deep breath before walking towards Shuuichi and holding his hands.

Shuuichi furrowed his eyebrows. “Kokichi? Are you alright?” He could vaguely register the conversations stopping and a camera pointed in their direction, and the sounds of the piano were muted. His thoughts were only on the person in front of him, and the person in front of him alone.

“Shuuichi, we’ve known each other for nine years and have been dating for eight. You’ve made such a huge impact on my life that I can’t imagine life without you. You’ve opened my eyes to a lot of things about the world, and I hope I’ve been interesting enough for you to stay with me for all this time. I want to stay by your side forever, and that’s why I have to ask this.” Kokichi gulped before going down on one knee and holding out a ring, his hands trembling.

Shuuichi’s eyes widened, and his hands flew up to his mouth. The earlier events of the evening finally made sense, but the rush of emotions drowned his thoughts out. All he could see and wanted to see was the love of his life kneeling in front of him.

“Shuuichi Saihara, will you marry me?”

“Yes! Oh my god, yes!” Shuuichi cried, yanking Kokichi up to his feet. He pulled him into a kiss, and his heart jumped at the cool metal slipping on his ring finger.

Cheers and applause erupted around them. When Shuuichi pulled away, the same bright grin he had fallen in love with was still there.

“Shuuichi, are you crying?” Kokichi teased.

“Of course I’m crying, I just… I love you so much.” Shuuichi smiled and wiped the tears on Kokichi’s face away with his thumb. “You’re crying too, Kokichi. You planned this, didn’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kokichi sang, folding his arms behind his head.

After he finished his sentence, the fourteen other people in the room swamped them, giving the couple their congratulations and asking when the wedding date is.

If Shuuichi thought he couldn’t be any happier, he was proven wrong when Rantarou tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a camera. “He totally planned this. He told me to get a camera ready ahead of time, so I took this shot.”

Shuuichi flipped through the pictures, the smile on his face so wide his mouth started to hurt.

Kokichi pouted and elbowed Rantarou. “Jeez, you’re such a snitch, Rantarou. And here I was thinking you were the perfect partner in crime.”

Before Rantarou could respond, Shuuichi handed the camera back to him before wrapping Kokichi in an embrace. “Kokichi, I love you. I love you so much.”

Kokichi leaned into his touch, wrapping his arms around him. “I love you too, Shuuichi. And that’s not a lie.”

And that was true. No matter how much Kokichi lied, he couldn’t lie about the genuineness of his proposal or the fireworks in his eyes. It was love in its most truthful form, and Shuuichi couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with the person he loved most.

**Author's Note:**

> so this is my first attempt at a saiouma angsty established relationship and im kind of nervous about it... i was working on this on and off while camp nano was happening and just finished my WIP for camp nanowrimo so i think i should be free to write more. i might do another chapter of their actual wedding but i dont know when thats getting done
> 
> thanks for reading!


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